Colorado College Asian Studies
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Courses on Japan
102 Elementary Japanese. Introduction to Japanese language. Students will be introduced to basic spoken and written structures of "standard" Japanese, the two Kana alphabets, approximately 70 kanji, and the development of the basic skills with attention to the cultural context. Language laboratory required. (Also listed as Japanese 101.) 2 units - Maruyama
105, 106 Beginning Japanese Skill Maintenance. Conversation and limited reading and writing practice in Japanese language. Prerequisite: 102. (Also listed as Japanese 103, 104.) 1/4 unit - Maruyama
117 Introduction to Asian Art. Introduction to Asian art in its historical and cultural context with emphasis on China, Japan, and India. (Also listed as Art History 113.) (Meets the Alternative Perspectives: B requirement.) 2 units - Bentley
205 Global Perspectives in the K-12 Classroom; Using Japan as an Example. Students will develop conceptual and affective tools with which to incorporate interdisciplinary global education into their teaching. Using Japan as a case study, students will examine experiential and hands-on methods of understanding and teaching the history, literature, economics, geography, and cultures of another culture while also placing that country in the context of regional and global connections, communications, responsibilities, and dependencies. (January half-block.) (Also listed as Education 201.) 1/2 unit - Engeln and M. McJimsey
212 Japanese Literature in Translation. This course examines the way in which post-war Japanese literature reflects the transformation and enduring tensions within Japanese society. Topics include gender roles, the family, individuality, and dissension. Of central concern is the capacity of literature to reflect massive social and economic changes within contemporary Japan and to assess the assumptions of continuity, consensus, and conformity. Works by the following writers will be included: Ibuse Masuji, Yasuoka Shotaro, Hayashi Fumiko, Kawabata Yasunari, Abe Kobo, Enchi Fumiko, and Oe Kenzaburo. Novels and short stories will be supplemented with film and readings. Discussion, reading, and writing will be in English. (Also listed as Japanese 212.) (Not offered 2003-04.) (Meets the Alternative Perspectives: B requirement.) 1 unit - Ericson
221 Intermediate Japanese I. The course emphasizes the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills after the elementary level. Video materials supplement the course and place the language in a cultural context. Prerequisite: 102. (Also listed as Japanese 201.) 1 unit - Maruyama
222 Advanced Intermediate Japanese II. The course builds on the language proficiency gained in 201. Increased use of the written and spoken language designed to build proficiency. Prerequisite: 201. (Also listed as Japanese 202.) 1 unit - Maruyama
243 Religion in Japan. The course focuses on the strong influence of Chinese and Indian religious forms; the prevalence of religious syncretism; the centrality of ancestor veneration; views of nature and of sacred space; the tendency toward this-worldly, material concerns; the wide variety of "new religions" in Japan. (Also listed as Religion 243.) (Meets the Alternative Perspectives: B requirement.) 1 unit - Gardiner
PA 250, Block 4: Word and Image in Chinese and Japanese Art: This course will examine the relationship between literature and art in Chinese and Japanese tomb art, painting, prints, and ceramics. Due to its thematic nature, the course will not provide a comprehensive Asian art survey. In China, we will examine Confucian texts and Sima Qian's Records of the Historian in relation to the Wu shrines; and Neo-Daoist writings in relation to the Seven Sages to the Bamboo Grove tomb engravings. Then we will consider allusion sin Song painting to Tang and Song poetry; and the literary basis for Ming dynasty drama illustrations and printing playing cards. In Japan, we begin by examining Heian court poetry in relation to court art. We then consider the relationship between Zen writings and medieval monochrome ink paintings; and the role of the Zen church in the shifting aesthetics of the tea ceremony. The course concludes by investigating ironic juxtapositions of word and image in ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Prerequisite:100 level AH course or COI (AH 200.) 1 unit- Bentley
251 Japanese Women Writers. Japanese women writers wrote the most heralded and poetic diaries in the classical literary canon; this celebration of women's literary contributions is an anomaly among world literatures. Yet for over five hundred years, women's literary voices were silenced before reemerging in the modern era, when a renaissance of "women's literature" (joryu bungaku) captured popular imagination, even as it confronted critical disparagement. This course traces the rise, fall, and return of writing by women and the influence of attitudes toward gender on what was written and read through a wide array of literary texts, historical documents, and cultural artifacts. (Also listed as Women's Studies 251.) 1 unit - Ericson
255 The Art of Japan. Salient developments in the art and architecture of Japan from prehistoric to modern times. Emphasis on the religious, philosophical, and historical background. Prerequisite: 155 or consent of instructor. (Also listed as Art History 255.) (Meets the Alternative Perspectives: B requirement.) 1 unit - Bentley
301 Advanced Japanese Language. Intensive practice in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehending modern Japanese. Prerequisite: 202 or consent of instructor. (Also listed as Japanese 301.) 1 unit (Offered as Extended Format) - Guajardo
326 Japanese Politics. This course examines whether Western political theory can be used to understand the politics of Japan. (Also listed as Political Science 326.) 1 unit - Fennell
385 Twentieth Century Japan. Japanese ways of life and thought and the interaction of local social patterns with government and the elite ideals. Focuses on the Tokugawa shogunate in the 18th century. (May be offered with Writing Emphasis.) Prerequisite: previous study of Japan or consent of instructor. (Also listed as History 328.) (Meets the Alternative Perspectives: B requirement.) 1 unit - Staff